Egyptian TV Presenter Sarah Khalifa, 11 Others Sentenced To Death
Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants have been sentenced to death over allegations of manufacturing and trafficking synthetic drugs.
A Cairo court handed down the death sentences after finding the defendants guilty of forming an organised criminal group involved in obtaining materials for producing narcotics for distribution.
Khalifa, 39, is known for presenting Mission Impossible, a television programme that focuses on security and crime-related matters.
According to Egypt’s state-linked Al-Ahram newspaper, the court also convicted the defendants of possessing and carrying firearms and ammunition without the required licences.
The case involved an alleged drug operation in which authorities reportedly recovered more than 750 kilogrammes of narcotics and materials believed to have been used in their production.
Investigators also discovered two apartments allegedly converted into laboratories for manufacturing synthetic drugs.
Khalifa, who owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and a company involved in organising parties and events, was among those accused in the case.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants imported materials from abroad before using them to produce synthetic drugs for distribution.
The court’s decision was issued after consultation with Egypt’s Grand Mufti, whose opinion is required before death sentences can be confirmed under Egyptian law.
The ruling is not yet final, as the defendants have the right to appeal.
Khalifa and some of the defendants also received five-year prison sentences in a separate case involving the alleged kidnapping and assault of a young man.
Egypt retains the death penalty for offences including premeditated murder, terrorism, certain sexual offences and drug trafficking.
The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms reported that Egyptian courts issued 541 death sentences in 2025.
